NORTHFIELD, Minn. – After a disappointing but hard-fought loss at No. 22 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Wednesday night, the University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team paid a visit to Carleton College on Saturday afternoon, hoping to see a similar fight against a 6-2 Carleton College team that is off to a 3-0 start in MIAC competition. While Wednesday's game was a rock fight, Saturday's contest was more of a shootout, and the Knights had more artillery, scoring 55 first-half points and running away to a 98-79 win.
Despite once again playing without starting guards
Japheth Nyamari (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) and
Will Foster (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie), UNW's offense was humming in the early stages. Four Eagles combined to score the team's first 16 points, led by
AJ Greene (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) with 10 as the visitors opened up a 16-9 advantage.
Mateo Cortes Weiss (Monterrey, N.L., Mexico/Minnehaha Academy) extended the lead to eight with a three-pointer, which was the largest lead Northwestern would hold all day, as Carleton quickly cut it to two with a pair of threes. Three-pointers from
Jacob Hoefs (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) and
Ben Tschida (Andover, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) kept UNW ahead by three, but things began to go south for the Eagles, who trailed 36-28 before Greene ended the run with a pull-up jumper. Buckets by Hoefs,
Jonah Burnett (Orr, Minn./North Woods) and
Noah Frazell (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) kept Northwestern within striking distance, and a pair of Greene free throws made it 43-38, but the Knights were soon able to get the lead back to double digits. Greene scored four more points before the break to give him a season-high 18 in the opening 20 minutes, but Carleton held a 55-44 advantage.
Greene's hand remained hot as he scored the opening points of the second half, but the hosts' lead soon grew to 15. Jumpers by Greene and Frazell, plus an
Isaac Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) three, trimmed the deficit to eight at 61-53 and forced a Carleton timeout, then back-to-back triples from Frazell moments later made it a seven-point game with 13:47 left to play. That was the closest the Eagles would get the rest of the way, as the Knights soon put together a 15-2 run to take an 89-67 lead. Hoefs and Burnett each scored four more points and Greene knocked down his lone three-point attempt of the game, but the buzzer sounded with Carleton ahead, 98-79.
Greene was sensational, scoring a career-high 29 points on 10-14 shooting (8-8 from the free-throw line) and dishing out four assists. Hoefs had another solid effort, shooting over 50% for 13 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Frazell was UNW's only other double-digit scorer with 12, in addition to four boards, three assists and two steals. Cortes Weiss and Burnett each scored eight points, with the latter adding five rebounds.
Northwestern will return home to face Saint John's in its final home, non-conference game of the season on Tuesday, December 16
th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM, following the conclusion of the 5:30 women's game.
